In the Midwest.

Boy's Hiv Treatment Delayed

EVANSVILLE, INDIANA — A computer glitch is being blamed for a delay in AIDS-prevention treatments for a 6-year-old boy who accidentally pricked his finger on a hypodermic needle.

The treatment began Tuesday, but the boy's mother said health officials told her the drugs might be ineffective because of the six-day delay. She has contacted an infectious disease specialist to see whether the treatment should even continue.

"This whole thing is just unbelievable," said the mother, who asked that her family not be identified. "If my son got AIDS or hepatitis, that would be the end of his life -- just because he was playing one day. It's not fair."

The boy pricked his finger on a needle he found in an alley. He has a very slim chance of being infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, according to a report by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.